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Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Baby Cary is 9 months old today—and she's about to get her first haircut!

Don't know who Cary is? Click here to read her story. And click here to catch up with what she's been doing over the years.

Late Afternoon Update: So, um, I messed up for the second month in a row. Cary actually turned 9 months old yesterday. I thought about just trying to let this totally embarrassing screw up slip by, but I figured somebody would bust me.

As for all that lovely snow and ice? Yesterday it was a freaky 67 degrees (with lots of sunshine) and everything melted just like that. Today it was back down in the 30s. Weird.

The biggest news of the day, though, is that Cary and the other 54 sheep have been successfully sheared. But photos will have to wait, as there are treats for the sheep that need to be passed out, and treats for my visiting mother (aka Vital Member Of The Shearing Crew) to be made. I've promised her a dinner of garden haricots verts (by way of the freezer), warm crusty bread, and lamb ribs (yes, we do eat some of the lambs we raise, it's the best lamb I've ever tasted, one of these days I'll get around to writing more about my meat eating practices and opinions as people are constantly asking me about them, and don't worry—nobody is ever going to eat Cary!). Tomorrow night we'll be having her favorite pizza (my mom's, not Cary's).

Then an hour or so ago she casually mentioned she'd never had one of my Emergency Chocolate Cakes, so there is frozen butter softening by the woodstove. Oh, plus there's been a request for cranberry orange scones for breakfast. (Her motto when she visits is, "I work for food!" and over a lunch of Spur Of The Moment Summer Squash Soup—hers topped with thinly sliced Monterey jack cheese & tomatillo salsa, mine with a dollop of sour cream—we mapped out our menu for the week). Okay, I've just been informed that it's 4:30, the living room is still cold, and there's no more firewood on the porch. Now I hear Cary calling to me from outside. I guess I'd better get going. . . (I hope to answer more of your questions soon!)

A year of Farm Photos ago:2/7/06: My Seed Starting Headquarters (check the comments section in this post for some helpful tips on starting your own seeds). And click here to read about my two favorite seed companies, plus my favorite edible gardening book for the past six years.2/6/06: Tree Sock Laundry Day?

I love your Cary posts--I think the one where she wiped out the cucumber plants was my favorite. And as always, your photos make me yearn for the country. Or maybe I should say, they feed my pastoral fantasies.

I know what you mean about the weather, yesterday it was 64 degrees here in Memphis and today I am freezing. If you will cook all that food for your mom, I was thinking I'd love to be in your family, and I'll work, too.

Thats some camouflage those sheep are wearing. Works better there than the year-round greeness here. I saved the picture as a background. We'll see what husband says next time he turns the computer on.

Oh man - as cute as that pic is, I'm afraid I'd have to duck out of the way just in case she doesn't apply the breaks. I can't imagine something her size barrelling across the field at you top speed!! Especially with that grin she's got!? Zooooooom - crazed lamb alert!

I came upon your blog via Sugar Mountain Farm and was thrilled to see what looks like a Shetland Sheep on the picture of the day. Am I wrong? We have three Shetland ewes, all of whom are pregnant for the first time, and one very horny ram lamb who i snow doing his best to impregnate the Angora goats. The ewes are due in April and May; we'll be shearing them mid-March. I'd love to hear tales of your lambing adventures. You can visit me at www.pretendingtofarm.com.

think the other sheep are jealous of cary's relationship with you? She surely seems to have the best of BOTH worlds...I've always thought that when I die--i'd like to come back as one of my own pampered pets...but i think I may just come back as one of YOURS...absolutely love keeping up with you and yours-- Farmgirl Fare is often the highlight of my day.have a good one,rene.

Thanks again for the Chocolate Emergency Cake - I shared your recipe with my daughter; she made it with some homemade chocolate buttercream frosting and said it was fantabulous! She had (ahemm. 2 slices) and was miffed when she came back and found her boyfriend had eaten the rest! I made it last nite for desert and he carried home the 1/2 loaf which was left over! Thanks again - it's so easy and so great!

ps - we had 1 ewe who had twins! and another had a single! Babies and mama's are doing great. We had to scurry to get "tubs" built for them in our small barn and we are hoping the remaining 3 ewes all lamb as easily!

When do you "dock" their tails? and vaccinate? We will also need to be shearing soon - I think March!

Hi Brandon,LOL I love the phrase "wiped out the cucumber plants"--and the image it provokes. Thanks!

Hi Miss Kitty,Life with Cary is always hilarious!

Hi Loner,Our sheep shearer uses electric shears. When we are forced to shear the sheep, we use electric ones, plus the hand shears (and sometimes plain old scissors) to get started and do the more delicate areas. The difference is that the shearer's electric shearer is much smaller, lighter, and more nimble (not to mention less intimidating to the sheep) because the motor for his is separate from the actual shears. Ours is all one piece and boy does that thing get heavy! The other difference is that it takes two of us (Joe holds, I shear) to do the job our shearer does alone--and he does it about a thousand times better than we do. : )

Don't worry--I saved the entire Baby's First Fleece. : )

Hi Scribbit,One freaky heatwave and poof! all the snow and ice melted.

Hi Cape Cod Kitty,Yep, Cary was heading toward me at full tilt. And she is fast!

Hi Idlehouse,Cary does start calling to me (and usually racing toward me like in this photo) whenever I get near her (partly because she sees me, but mostly because she smells and/or hears my voice), but even if she didn't, I'd know her anywhere--from the front or back. : )

Most people think all of my sheep look alike (even years ago when they were a real mixed breed bag and, to me, all looked completely different). Even now that we have a much more "uniform" flock, I can easily tell them all apart--except for a few. Which is good, as they keep losing their eartags!

Hi Anna,Congratulations on your new flock! How exciting. Five ewes is a great size to start with. Sometimes I wish I had only five, LOL.

Offhand, I don't know any online sheep sites (unfortunately), but I will ask a few of my fellow shepherdgirl pals. If anybody reading this knows of any, we'd love to hear about them.

I do recommend the book, Raising Sheep The Modern Way. It is an excellent all around sheep book, especially for beginners. Some of the information on medications and vaccinations might be somewhat out of date, as my "updated" version is from 1989 and I'm not sure there's a newer one, but most of the basic information will always be relevant.

Hi Lindy,I, too, love Cary's ears--especially the way they flapflapflap up and down when she runs.

I have the Baby Cary book (with accompanying doll, of course) on my gargantuan To Do List. One of these days I hope! : )

Hi Martha,My mom is visiting this week, and when she saw my heart rocks lined up on the ledge next to the front door of The Shack she couldn't believe how much my collection has grown. I, too, have been amazed by how many I have been finding lately. Yes, I think our farm is definitely filled with love. : )

Hi Fancy Free,Great to hear from you! Jealous sheep? Nah. Well, okay, maybe just one or two, like Big Chip and Skinny Chip and Sweet Pea and Teddy and Doll Face and Lucky Cherry and . . . : )

Hi Daisy,Not only do I have before and after pics, I have 'during' pics, too! Now if I could only get around to posting them. . .

Hi Happy Laney,We've never sheared this early before, but we talked to our shearer and decided the sheep would be fine. We did wait until after that real cold snap. There is another snowstorm along with single digit temps headed our way, but the first 3 or 4 days after shearing are the most vital, and we've made it through them with no problem. I did make sure the sheep had plenty of grain to keep them extra warm at night, and of course they can go in their barn anytime.

Hi Beverly,Yeah, that one day heatwave was really strange. My mom (who lives in California) couldn't believe the night she arrived it was like being in a snowdome, and two days later every speck of snow was gone.

Yes, we've definitely been eating well (warm blueberry bran muffins this morning for breakfast, lamb burgers and homemade pita chips for dinner, LOTS of desserts, LOL. . .), but I really have been making her work for her food! : )

Hi DJ,LOL, I had no idea there were so many starving unemployed farm lovers out there. : )

Hi Julie,Alaska? Wow. I used to dream about moving to Alaska, but I have a feeling I'd wimp out during the first winter. : )

Hi Amanda,Thanks. Yes, Cary is an extremely expressive sheep. She's such a character and is always cracking me up.

Hi Ray-Ray,Yeah, sometimes I don't realize just how big she's gotten--especially as she's still one of the tiniest sheep in the flock. But then I look at her standing next to the Nanny Bear and remember that he used to be so much bigger than her!

Hi Shaun,You know I couldn't have put that piece of hay in her mouth if I'd tried (for hours, LOL). I love how little things like that turn up in photos.

Hi Cia,Great to hear from you and congratulations! I'll be emailing you very soon!

Hi Maureen,Are you saying you don't think that's all fluff? I guess you'll be able to tell when I get the "after" photo up. : )

Hi Petunia's Gardener,I was just telling my mom how the sheep are the same color as the fields this time of year, and then we sheared them and they turned bright white.

Hi Jeph,Crazed Lamb Alert--I love it. So true! As far as applying the brakes, let's just say that when Lucky Buddy Bear races toward me at top speed he stops on a dime right at my feet, and Cary, well, doesn't. : )

Hi Lauren,Welcome to the farm! Actually my sheep are mostly Suffolk (which is the black faced and black legged breed). I know a few people with Shetland sheep, though, and they are gorgeous. So much wool! My sheep are meat breeds so their wool isn't long and soft and good for spinning--though learning to spin had actually been my original sheep plan.

Hi DJ,Yummy food? Here? Us? Well, yeah. And I'd better wrap this up so I can take care of chores and go make some more!

Hi Culinary Cowgirl,Thanks so much!

Hi Rene,Re sheep jealous of Cary--as I mentioned to Fancy Free above, only one or two. Okay, maybe ten or eleven. . .

LOL, that's so sweet about wanting to come back as one my pets. Thanks for all your kind words. I loved hearing that you enjoy your e-visits to the farm so much. : )

Hi Sarah,Let's just say Cary's brakes could use new pads or rotors or whatever parts sheep brakes have--and that I have sustained more than a couple of bruises from collisions! (But of course you know I don't mind a bit. Now if she ever gets to be, say, 200 pounds. . .) : )

Hi Anna,LOL, I'm so glad to hear that my Emergency Chocolate Cake has been such a big hit in your family. My mom loved the one I made for her the other day--we even had slices for breakfast (with glasses of milk so it was healthy). : )

Congratulations on the new lambs. Glad to hear they're all doing great. Wonderful news.

Tails can be docked within a few days, and some people do it before letting the lambs and moms out of the bonding pen. We wait a while until there are several to do at once. Also, we dock tails and castrate males (with an elastrator) at the same time, and it's much easier to wait until the boys are a little older. Vaccinating can be done starting at 9 or 10 weeks of age. Again, I highly recommend the book, Raising Sheep The Modern Way (see link above). Again, congratulations. And best of luck with the other 3 ewes! : )

Ok, I may be at the bottom of the comment pile here, but have been on vacation and haven't been able to check in on my favorite lamb and her cohorts.

And here I am and she's getting her first haircut! The photo of Cary running full-bore at the camera cracks me up since it looks like she's clicking her heels together and smiling with glee at the idea of a haircut.

Perhaps it's a tad warm under all that fleece?

Either way - hilarious photo and I can't wait to see all your nude sheep.

December 2015 update: Hi! For some reason I can't figure out, Blogger hasn't been letting me leave comments on my own blog (!) for the last several months, so I've been unable to respond to your comments and questions. My apologies for any inconvenience! You're always welcome to email me: farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com.

Hi! Thanks for visiting Farmgirl Fare and taking the time to write. While I'm not always able to reply to every comment, I receive and enjoy reading them all.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and I especially love hearing about your experiences with my recipes. Comments on older posts are always welcome!

Please note that I moderate comments, so if I'm away from the computer it may be a while before yours appears.

I try my best to answer all questions, though sometimes it takes me a few days. And sometimes, I'm sorry to say, they fall through the cracks, and for that I sincerely apologize.

I look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy your e-visits to our farm!